Generation IΧΘΥΣ

As I stood in the Great Liturgy today I realized by observation the presence of a number of 20 somethings that I refer to as Generation ΙΧΘΥΣ. The young adults of today are heading toward Orthodoxy in numbers that can only be divine. God is drawing these young Westerners out of the quagmire of numerous protestant denominations, christian movements and even Roman Catholicism, to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church- The Eastern Orthodox Church. I shouldn't be amazed at the seemingly simple ease with which these focused Disciples step into the original Church of Christ, but given my 50 year journey, I am always amazed. It is not by entising words of man's wisdom nor by proselitizing, that they are coming, but by the simple drawing of Holy Spirit. Today's Western Youth have felt the void in their lives and Christian experience and yet cannot define it. It is only when they find the Church that they understand what the void was as they first experience the peace of the presence of Christ in the Liturgy and the power of Christ in the Eucharist. They feel whole and at home from the very beginning of their journey. They have hope and their first act within that hope is to tell their friends and family what they have found. Some are met with receptiveness from others whose void has become overwhelming, some are met with with distain from those who will not consider that their void is a product of the environment in which they are bound. ΙΧΘΥΣ, greek for "fish" the acrostic: Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter, or Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior, is the filler of the void and He can only be fully experienced within the doors of His Church which is His body on earth. We are either a connected part of his body or we are dismembered. Generation ΙΧΘΥΣ-ers are becoming members not of an organization but of the organism of the Living Lord Jesus. There is bright hope for the Orthodox Church in America. The brightest hope is Generation ΙΧΘΥΣ.

Mercy Not Sacrifice

Last night I went out to what my wife and I call my second office- Stogies Ales and Fine Cigars in Brentwood, Tennessee. The proprietor there is a good Irish Catholic man named Patrick Morgan. Patrick is a very benevolent, community minded citizen and often sponsors fund- raisers for charities. If you'll remember from earlier posts, he also allows a Protestant men's Bible group to meet there. Stogies has been a breath of fresh air (mingled with fine burning leaf) to me since arriving in the Nashville area. There, I can mingle with the folks in the community and establish some great relationships. For any who would criticize my lounging with the publicans and the sinners, just remember Jesus did the same and was criticized by the Pharisees- the religious leaders. My answer is the same as His:

"Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Jesus was quoting from Hosea 6:6 when he suggested His critics need to go study the scripture a bit. The critics had it backwards. They practiced sacrifice and not mercy.

Sacrifice: Zabah (Hebrew): Means to slaughter or to kill and is used as a reference to sacrificing animals to God. However, this word is not used in reference to the priest's sacrifice but to individuals who bought sacrifices at their own expense. So, these are devout religious people whose idea of serving God is to continually be at the temple doing sacrificial deeds to the exclusion of the community around them. It is the modern equivalent of staying within the four doors of the church bulding, never associating with sinners in fear of becoming tainted.

Mercy: Hesed (Hebrew):Means an act of kindness, love or mercy. The quality of kindness shown is usually reserved for close friends or family members. The Hesed, Jesus said is more important than Zabah, presupposes an existing relationship between the parties involved, one person having chosen to treat the other as if such a relationship did exist. In other words we love the sinners and fellowship with them just as we love our brothers in Christ. The modern equivalent is to find a Stogies where the atheists and religious of all types hang out, and eat and drink with them. So, "Go and learn what this means."

Last night I met with a former Church Of Christ friend at Stogies. A very learned man having earned a law degree, he was a natural as a teacher in a local COC congregation. His wife, a studious, strong, yet humble person, attended as well although she was a Catholic. Wife endured as long as she could until the judgment she received from the COC members was more than she could bare. Their continual efforts to convert her and the methods used prompted husband to begin studying the Catholic faith so as to defend her. In doing so he stumbled upon the historic faith, saw the weakness of the COC's claim to be the only church, and eventually made his way to Orthodoxy. This year I stood as sponsor as both husband and wife were chrismated into the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church-the Eastern Orthodox Church.

As my friend and I sat there in the leather chairs having a fine cigar and a cold brew, he told me some of activity that occurs around someone leaving the COC. The phrase "A dog returning to his vomit" is often used in reference to someone like my friend who leaves the COC. Such a person doesn't leave his faith in Christ, just the COC. My friend also spoke of receiving a card from a former COC member which said, "We are mourning your death."Anger, accusations, disowning and dechurching ceremonies are not only common but typical. My friend hasn't even been able to tell his elderly parents of he and his wife's new found faith for fear of rejection.

So, I was thinking about mercy, hesed, the kind Jesus told us to go and learn about and I thought about how the Orthodox react when someone leaves the faith. Though our hearts may be broken our prayers are ignited. In fact we pray at our Morning Prayers and our Evening Prayers this portion:

"Those who depart from the Orthodox Faith, dazzled by destroying heresies, enlighten by the light of Your holy wisdom, and unite them to your Holy, Apostolic, Catholic Church."

We may even go to them to minister and love them showing kindness, but always with hesed. No need of any talk of vomit or threats or demeaning or manipulating or condemning or even Zabah. Christ wouldn't even do such to the sinners, why would we do such to our own hurting brothers? We are to call sinners to repentance not condemnation.

The propensity in the COC to show such lack of hesed speaks volumes. Is it any wonder there are so many support groups for ex-COC members? It is a wonder, however, that those in the COC who are of a different heart and who cringe at such actions by their church, don't question their church's claim to be the only Church Of Christ. Though the Orthodox Church holds the historic claim to be the original, unbroken, undivided Church Of Christ, it does not judge the salvation of individuals, for "We know where the church is but we don't know where it isn't" and mercy is a way of life.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Me A Sinner.

Leaving "The Faith" To Get To The Faith

I have been talking to a Church of Christ friend lately who is inquiring into the Eastern Orthodox Faith and is in the process of becoming a catechumen. This process seems to be igniting hope, and peace in him. However, to arrive at one place you must leave another place. Leaving the Church of Christ is a process indeed and the process is a mix of understanding and accusation.

Last night I spent a few hours in real conversation with two of my siblings. It is the first time we have done that in about 7 years. It was a spiritual time of restoration as we prayed and forgave. The breech 7 years ago was many faceted, as are most relational complications, but one of the issues was the fact that I had journeyed (not so smoothly) away from the "faith of my fathers"-Southern Baptist. As I have walked with my Church of Christ friend on his new journey to Orthodoxy, I have been amazed at how I have identified with some of his process. I have noticed a pattern of elements related to the process of leaving one sect to go to another, particularly reactions from those being left. It seems to happen in this order.

1. They use scripture and doctrine to try to convince you that you are in error.

2. They get personal "What happened to you?" "Have you fallen away?" "Did someone hurt you?" "Is someone leading you astray?"

3. They use emotional manipulation. "Do you know how this will hurt your parents, grandparents?

4. They use threats. "You are leaving the faith."You'll be returning to the vomit like a dog." God will take away your gifts." "You will never be happy."

5. They use power plays. "I am coming to see you and bringing so and so with me!" "We ARE going to talk a bout this." "It's for the salvation of your soul."

6. If none of the above work, they finally cut you off.

The process is a dichotomy of pain and joy. Pain because you love those you are leaving, joy because you love God more.

My process of leaving the church of my father and grandfather was a long one. There were two scriptures that gave me hope and endurance. The first spoke of the heart that drove me to find the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church- the Orthodox Church:

"One thing have I desired and that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all of the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and inquire in his Holy Temple."

I just had to know him personally and to know where his people worshiped him in Spirit and in truth.

The second spoke of His promise to me if I were to follow Him:

Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sister or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for my sake and the gospel's. who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time-houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecution- and in the age to come, eternal life."

7 Years toward restoration. Thanks be to God. We must at all costs, leave "the faith" to get to THE FAITH. This is our Journey To Orthodoxy.

Do Orthodox Believe In The Bible?

Do Orthodox Believe In The Bible?
Short answer? No. We believe in God!
We definitely do believe the Bible to be God's inspired word, the most important thing we have received from the early Church. In fact, it was the Church that gave us the Bible as we know it today.
Isn't that backwards? Isn't the Church based on the Bible?
The Bible didn't just fall from heaven with a table of contents on page one. The Church was alive and well for decades before the New Testament was even written - and for centuries before the canon was "canonized" by Orthodox bishops in the fourth century. The books that make up the Bible as we have it today were shared, assembled, and approved over time by the Orthodox Christian community.
Orthodoxy doesn't artificially set up Church or Tradition against Scripture - rather we recognize that the body of faith and practice passed on from generation to generation is an organic whole. The word "tradition" just means "that which was transmitted." Because the Scriptures are the most important part of that tradition, the early Christian Fathers always argued from Scripture - but they did not interpret that Scripture in isolation from the whole body of faith they'd received from their predecessors. As St. Paul wrote,
Stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by WORD or our EPISTLE. (2 Thessalonians 2:15)
[From "Frequently Asked Questions" At Phil Thomson.net]

BEDFELLOWS?

Guess which one said:

Adolf Hitler .............................................................................................. Martin Luther

"The Jews deserve to be hanged on gallows, seven times higher than ordinary thieves"

"We ought to take revenge on the Jews and kill them."

"The blind Jews are truly stupid fools"

"Now just behold these miserable, blind, and senseless people."

"eject them forever from this country"

"they are nothing but thieves and robbers"

"What then shall we do with this damned, rejected race of Jews?"

"Such a desperate, thoroughly evil, poisonous, and devilish lot are these Jews"

"They are the real liars and bloodhounds"

"We are at fault for not slaying them."

"I shall give you my sincere advice: first to set fire to their synagogues or schools and to bury and cover with dirt whatever will not burn, so that no man will ever again see a stone or cinder of them."

"Second, I advise that their houses also be razed and destroyed."

"Fifth, I advise that safe-conduct on the highways be abolished completely for the Jews."

"Burn down their synagogues, forbid all that I enumerated earlier, force them to work, and deal harshly with them"

"If this does not help we must drive them out like mad dogs"

"If I had to baptize a Jew, I would take him to the river Elbe, hang a stone around his neck and push him over with the words `I baptize thee in the name of Abraham'."

Answer:
Martin Luther Said ALL of these things
Adolph Hitler put Luther's word into action.

تحية الى بلدي الناطقه بالعربيه والاخوة والاخوات في المسيح.

تحية الى بلدي الناطقه بالعربيه والاخوة والاخوات في المسيح. ارحب بكم في متابعة والمشاركة في رحلتي الى عقيده. وأضم صوتي لك كجزء من الكنيسة الارثوذكسيه من انطاكيه حيث كنا اول ودعا المسيحيين. الله في المحافظة على هويته جميع القداسه البطريرك المسكوني بارثولومو في دمشق في سوريا

(Greetings to my Arabic speaking brothers and sisters in Christ. I welcome you to follow and share in my Journey To orthodoxy. I join you as a part of the Orthodox Church of Antioch where we were first called Christians. God preserve His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Damascus, Syria.)

Update: Read http://journeytoorthodoxy.blogspot.com/2009/06/why-we-leftwhere-we-went.html

JTO Reaches The 10,000th Visitor Mark!

10,000 Visits and counting! I am sure some of you will want to take credit for a few thousand of those, but it is remarkable that such a milestone has been reached. I have had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and from every spectrum of belief. I have shared my journey both good and bad and felt the encouragement from those of you who have come this way. What a wonderful time these few years have been. This is just the beginning. Should the Lord will, we will reach # 20,000 in a much shorter time. Stay tuned and stay with me. I need you...

So Why The Funny Clothes?

When looking at Orthodoxy for the first time it is not uncommon to stumble on the most elementary of things. "So why the funny clothes? Why don't the priests just dress normal?" Okay, define "normal". This issue is most often posed by a Westerner, someone born in the West. Please forgive, but it is birthed out our of ignorant arrogance that presupposes that the world evolves around the West and anything else is not normal.

In the movie, Tombstone, Wyatt Earp is talking to his good friend Doc Holiday while dying. "I just want to have a normal life Doc," Wyatt says. In his deathbed wisdom Doc replies, "There ain't no normal life, Wyatt, there's just life. Now get about livin' it." There ain't no normal clothes either, there are just clothes and they vary according to the culture. The culture of he Kingdom of God on this earth is not of this world. Clothes worn by the clergy have as their purpose not to make a man stand out but to hide the man so that God may be exalted. The idea that physical matter is evil is foreign to the church, in fact it is heretical. Matter is of God and sanctified for him. This includes the clothes worn in worship. Such has its roots in the Judaic Temple worship from which Christianity was birthed. The Orthodox Temple itself is designed to pattern such. There is the outer court, the inner court and the Holy of Holies. In place of the Torah in the Holy of Holies, is the Word Himself-Jesus Christ-in the Eucharist.

"This emphasis on sensory involvement has its basis in the Orthodox and thoroughly Biblical conviction that it is the whole world, and not only man's soul, that will be transfigured - "saved" - when Christ establishes His Kingdom at the end of time. The Liturgy is the anticipation and conditional realization here and now of that promised end. Far from denying God's material creation, it sanctifies it. The Eucharist itself is proof of this. However, the beauty of the Liturgy is of a kind that is consistent with the Church's vision of that transfigured world."

Here is a quick glimpse of matter that is sanctified to God. See the Vestments, the incense, the Eucharist:




Vestments have evolved somewhat over the 2000 years the church has existed but every garment with their varying shapes, coverings and colors are designed with reason and message. In the Orthodox Liturgy, physical matter is sanctified not held in disdain. No clergy dares approach the altar, where the mystical presence of Christ Himself is present, in common clothes, blue jeans, Hawaiian shirt, etc. Not even the Western suit and tie will suffice. The office of Bishop, Priest and Deacon are set aside and sanctified so as to lead all the people to the altar of Holy Trinity.

Study the meaning of the vestments and you will see the gospel of Emmanuel, God is with us, visibly displayed. Here are a couple of sites for a more thorough look:

http://www.orthodoxchristian.info/pages/vestments.htm
http://www.roca.org/OA/32/32f.htm
http://www.annunciationgoc.com/worship09b3.htm

That's why the funny clothes. By the way, why do many protestant clergy wear that funny, skinny piece of cloth around their necks that first appeared in 1860 as a sign used of British aristocracy? Who designed the TIE anyway? What significance does that have in worship?? Now that's funny.

Update From Our Beloved Brother-Father David Moretti

Moretti Update: Summer 2008

To all who are dear to us and follow our nomadic lifestyle!

Christ is in our midst! He is and ever shall be!

Well here it is June 27, 2008 and while most of my fellow graduates are LONG GONE our family remains here in Northeast Pennsylvania. We have found out from our beloved Bishop MARK that we are to be assigned to Saint George Orthodox Church in Terre Haute, Indiana.

We will be making our move within the next two weeks and our first official weekend there will be for the Feast of Saint Elijah (July 20th)! You see! There are no accidents. As the God-father to Skyler Elijah this day, of course, has special meaning to our family. We are also ecstatic about being back in the Midwest!

The parish has recently celebrated its 80th Anniversary and though we are already working on revising the website, here is the current one. It is also providential that Saint George is one of the very few parishes in the Antiochian Archdiocese that actually has a rectory. Given the last three years have been "sans-income" it is going a real blessing to have a home without having to search or have to come up with a down-payment!

Please keep us in your prayers as we make this transition and pray for the community of Saint George, our new home!

Love, In Christ,

Father David, Presvytera Diane, Anthony, Sofia, Theo, Gecky, Rob & Jeannie

Praying To The Saints

{An excerpt from Prayer And The Departed Saints By David C. Ford, Ph.D
Full Treatment on this subject available on line HERE from Conciliar Press}

Question: But doesn't the Bible say, "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5)? Why do we need to ask the saints to pray for us?

Answer: Yes, Christ Jesus, both Man and God, is the only One who has reconciled fallen humanity to God the Father by His reconciling and redeeming life, death, and resurrection. But this does not mean that we never ask others to pray for us! We ask the departed saints for their prayers in the same way we ask our fellow Christians on earth to intercede for us. Since the departed remain alive in Christ, why should they cease to express their love and concern for us through prayer? Freed from the concerns of day-to-day survival on earth, unencumbered with the sinful tendencies of the flesh, and far more intimately knit together with Christ than we are, the departed are able to intercede for us much more frequently and powerfully than our friends on earth can pray for us. Those in heaven are able to do continuously what we on earth long to do, but usually only manage to do weakly and sporadically. No wonder, then, that Christians from the earliest days have asked the departed for their prayers. This in no way means that we can only reach Christ by going through the saints, as if they are absolutely necessary intermediaries between us and God. Such an idea is completely foreign to Orthodoxy. Saint Paul clearly states, "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God . . . let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:14-16). But just because we pray, on our own, directly to God, does not mean that we never ask other people for their prayers! Indeed, we are commanded many times in the Scriptures to pray for one another. Saint Paul says to Timothy, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men" (1 Timothy 2:1; see also Colossians 4:2-4, Ephesians 6:18, etc.). And we are taught by our Lord Jesus that the power of prayer is greater when more people are praying together: "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven" (Matthew 18:19). So, just as we feel comforted and strengthened when we ask friends, family, and Church members here on earth to intercede for us in a time of need, how much more can we feel comforted and strengthened when we also ask the Church in heaven for her prayers! (And we should not neglect to ask the angels for their prayers as well, since they are expressly sent to us as "ministering spirits" [Hebrews 1:14; also Psalm 91:11 and Isaiah 63:9]). Asking the saints, both those on earth and those in heaven,12 for their prayers, and asking the angels, too, can all be understood simply as gathering the greatest amount of prayer support possible in a time of need!

Question: Can the saints answer our prayers directly? Is it within their power to grant our requests?

Answer: The prayers of our brothers and sisters in Christ here on earth are only effective insofar as God answers them. It is the same with the intercessions of the saints in heaven for us. They can never answer prayers of their own accord or in their own power; they can only beseech Christ on our behalf. To imagine that prayer to the saints means that they can grant our requests apart from Christ is a totally unacceptable idea according to Orthodox theology and practice. So when we pray to the saints, the understanding is always clear that we are asking them to help us by praying to God, and not by their own power or actions apart from Him. For example, a hymn to Saint Nina (who as a young woman in the early fourth century brought the Christian Faith to Georgia, in southern Eurasia) concludes, "with the angels thou hast praised in song the Redeemer, praying constantly for us that Christ may grant us His grace and mercy".13 But as to their ability to hear our requests for their prayers, we ought not to limit the powers of spiritual perception of those who are now so intimately linked with God. If we on earth experience the help of the Holy Spirit praying in us and through us (Romans 8:26, 27), how much more must the Spirit's help be present in the saints in heaven? And we should remember that in heaven, in the spiritual realm, there are none of the limitations of time, space, or physical mortality which so restrict us as we live on earth.